ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Science & Technology
IIT Hyderabad uses artificial intelligence to study supply chain network of biofuels
Dr Kishalay Mitra: “In India, biofuels generated from non-food sources is the most promising source of carbon-neutral renewable energy
--By: Jyoti Singh
Bio-derived fuels are gaining widespread attention among the scientific community across the world. The work on biofuels is in response to the global call for reducing carbon emissions associated with the use of fossil fuels. In India too, biofuels have caught the imagination of researchers.
For instance, researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology  Hyderabad have started using computational methods to understand the factors and impediments in incorporating biofuels into the fuel sector in India.
A unique feature of this work is that the framework considers revenue generation not only as an outcome of sales of the biofuel but also in terms of carbon credits via greenhouse gas emission savings throughout the project lifecycle.
The model has shown that if bioethanol is integrated with mainstream fuel, the costs associated with it are follows: production cost 43 per cent, import 25 per cent, transport 17 per cent, infrastructure 15 per cent, and inventory 0.43 per cent. The model has also shown that the feed availability to the tune of at least 40 per cent of the capacity is needed to meet the projected demands.
Kapil Gumte and Dr Kishalay Mitra
Dr Kishalay Mitra, lead researcher, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, said, “In India, biofuels generated from non-food sources is the most promising source of carbon-neutral renewable energy. These second-generation sources include agricultural waste products such as straw, hay and wood, among others, that do not intrude upon food sources.”
The team has considered multiple technologies available for bioenergy generation across several zones in the country and performed a thorough feasibility study using data of suppliers, transport, storage and production, among others, published by the Indian Government.
Elaborating on this research, Kapil Gumte, Research Scholar, IIT Hyderabad, said, “We use machine learning techniques to understand the supply chain network. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence in which the computer learns patterns from available data and updates automatically to produce an understanding of the system and predictions for the future.”
“The techno-economic-environmental analysis on country-wide multi-layered supply chain network and the use of machine learning techniques have helped us capture the uncertainty in forecasting demands and other supply chain parameters and their effects on the operational and design decisions in the long run,” added Dr Mitra.
The results of this work have been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
President's Secretariat
President of India’s Greetings on The Eve of Dussehra
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind has sent his greetings to his fellow citizens on the eve of Dussehra.
In a message, the President has said, “On the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to all the fellow citizens in India and abroad.
This festival symbolises the triumph of good over evil. The festival is celebrated throughout India in different forms. This festival strengthens the cultural unity of India and inspires us to live in harmony, following the path of virtue and shunning evil.
This festival is also associated with the life and values of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram. His life is a shining example of morality and righteousness.
May this festival of joy and happiness protect us from the evil effects of the ongoing pandemic and bring prosperity and affluence to our countrymen”.
Click here to see the President's message in Hindi
Prime Minister's Office
PM invites ideas and inputs for Mann Ki Baat
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has invited people to share the ideas and inputs for upcoming episode of Mann ki Baat scheduled for 28th August 2022 at 11 AM. The ideas can be shared on MyGov, Namo App, or dial the number 1800-11-7800 to record the message.
Sharing MyGov invitation, the Prime Minister tweeted;
"Looking forward to ideas and inputs for the upcoming #MannKiBaat programme on 28th August. Write on MyGov or the NaMo App. Alternatively, record a message by dialling 1800-11-7800.
https://www.mygov.in/group-issue/inviting-ideas-mann-ki-baat-prime-minister-narendra-modi-28th-august-2022/?target=inapp&type=group_issue&nid=333371"
Ministry of Defence
Government decides to allow Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel with less than 10 years of qualifying service
The Government has taken a decision to allow Invalid Pension to Armed Forces Personnel with less than 10 years of qualifying service. Invalid pension is granted to the Armed Forces Personnel who is invalided out of service on account of disability which is accepted as Neither Attributable to Nor aggravated  by Military Service. The proposal has been approved by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh. Benefit of this decision will be available to those Armed Forces Personnel who were in service on or after 04.01.2019.
Earlier, the minimum period of qualifying service actually rendered and required for invalid pension was 10 years or more. For less than 10 years qualifying service, invalid gratuity was admissible. By this decision, Armed Forces Personnel whose service is less than ten years and became/become invalided out of service on account of any bodily or mental infirmity which is Neither Attributable to Nor Aggravated  by Military service and which permanently incapacitated/incapacitates them from military service as well as civil re-employment, will be benefited and it will make them economically sound.
ABB/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India sustains trend of consistently low Active Cases
Active Caseload below 6 lakh for the sixth day
Recovery Rate crosses 92%
With a high number of COVID patients recovering every day and the sustained fall in the mortality rate, India’s steady trend of registering dipping active cases continues. The active caseload is sustained below the 6L mark for the sixth successive day today.
India's active caseload stands at 5,33,787 today.
Presently the active cases comprise merely 6.42% of the total positive cases of the country.
16 States & UTs have cases per million lower than the national average.
The total recovered cases are more than 76.5 Lakhs  thereby enhancing the difference with respect to the active cases. In another achievement, the national Recovery Rate has surpassed 92% .
53,357 patients have recovered and discharged in the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases stand at 46,253.
17 States/UTs have Recovery Rate more than the national average.
The country’s testing capacities have expanded rapidly. The cumulative tests are nearly 11.3 crore  today. 12,09,609 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.
25 States/UTs have better tests per million than the national average.
80% of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 States/UTs .
Kerala is leading with more than 8,000 single day recoveries followed by Karnataka with more than 7,000 recoveries.
76% of the new confirmed cases are from 10 States and UTs.
Kerala and Delhi have contributed the maximum to the new cases with more than 6,000 cases each. Maharashtra follows with more than 4,000 new cases.
514 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours.Of these, nearly 80% are concentrated in ten States/UTs. Maharashtra has reported the maximum single day deaths .
India’s Case Fatality Rate stands at 1.49%.
21 States and UTs have deaths per million lower than the national average.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Cabinet approves revision in the Funding Pattern of Delhi Metro’s three Priority Corridors of Phase – IV
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for revision in the funding pattern of three approved priority corridors of Delhi Metro Phase-IV projects, namely,  Aerocity to Tughlakabad,  R.K Ashram to Janakpuri  and  Mukundpur - Maujpur with sharing of land cost in the ratio of 50:50 between Government of India  and Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi . This is in pursuance of the amendments to Metro Rail Policy, 2017 applicable only for Delhi, in compliance to the Supreme Court order dated 06.09.2019.
The total cost of the project which is Rs. 24,948.65 crore remains unchanged. The contribution from GoI increases from the existing Rs. 4,154.20 crore to Rs. 4,643.638 crore resulting in a net increase of Rs. 489.438 crore. The amount of external loan from bilateral/multilateral agencies which DMRC has to repay increases from the existing Rs. 11,462.60 crore to Rs.12,930.914 crore with a net increase of Rs. 1,468.314 crore.
Background:
Three priority corridors of Delhi Metro phase-IV project were approved by the Government of India in March, 2019 at a completion cost of Rs. 24,948.65 crore. The funding pattern was kept in line with provisions of Metro rail policy, 2017. GNCTD in April, 2019 directed DMRC not to start work on the sanctioned corridors unless MoHUA revises the cost sharing pattern in tune with approval concurred by them.
After intervention of the Supreme Court, the work was started in July, 2019. The Supreme Court in its order dated 06.09.2019, upheld the provisions of Metro Rail Policy, 2017 regarding bearing of operational losses and repayment of external loan and currency fluctuation cost by the State in case the Special Purpose Vehicle  fails. The Supreme Court directed to make a departure from the Policy to be applicable only in the case of Delhi and to share land cost in the ratio of 50:50 between GoI and GNCTD. The relevant para of Metro Rail Policy, 2017 is also amended accordingly.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Agricultural Loan Target
The Government with a view to enhance the production and productivity in agriculture sector, announces Agriculture Credit Flow Targets every year and these targets have consistently been surpassed by the Banks. The details of Agriculture Credit Flow Targets and achievement along with number of accounts thereon during the last 3 years  is given as under:-

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Year
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Target
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Achievement
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No. of Accounts
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2015-16
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8,50,000
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9,15,510
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899.06
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2016-17
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9,00,000
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10,65,755
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1070.68
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2017-18
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10,00,000
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11,68,503|
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1139.13Provisional
# Data Source : Data submitted by Banks in ENSURE portal of NABARD in respect of Cooperative and Regional Rural Banks and data furnished by Banks through mail in respect of Commercial Banks.
The Agriculture Credit Flow Target for 2018-19 has been fixed at Rs, 11,00,000 crore and against this target, as reported by NABARD, the disbursement by Banks till September, 2018 is Rs. 6,45,205 crore.
This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Parshottam Rupala in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Science & Technology
INDIGENOUS TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL BOILER ACCIDENTS
The following links show that more than 23,000 boiler accidents, leading to vapour explosion, did happen world over. India alone accounts for 34 deaths last year due to boiler explosion as stated by the Fellow at  in his proposal document.
https://reliabilityweb.com/articles/entry/where_do_failures_originate_sidebar_analysis_air_france_flight_447_cra1
https://www.boilerlicense.com/the-importance-of-operating-procedures/
The Government has recently identified a project for funding at IIT-Patna. Under this project it is planned to perform a detailed study to understand the science behind such accidents.
This information was given by Minister of State  of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Rural Development
Cluster Level Federation Navprabha Mahila Prabhagsangh from Osmanabad bags the 'Atmanirbhar Sangathan' award
Mumbai, 8 March 2022
Navprabha Mahila Prabhagsangh, a Cluster Level Federation  promoted by Dindayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Campaign  based in Lohara taluka in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra has been awarded the 'Atmanirbhar Sangathan' award by the Union Ministry of Rural Development. The CLF wins the award in the 0-5 years category in the East and West region.
Navaprabha Mahila Prabhagsangh, Jerwali is a registered CLF. The CLF was formed on 6 October 2017. It has 275 Self Help Groups and 12 Village Organizations. This CLF conducts monthly EC meeting and meeting regularity is 100% with 95% attendance. The CLF has computerized DCB  so they get monthly repayment rates and Portfolio in Arrears .
The CLF regularly reviews the repayments, reviews the staffs and cadres. They regularly review the livelihood activities of members. In last financial year they earned a net profit of Rs. 78,000 and their Operational Self-Sustainability or OSS is 157%, indicating the CLF is able to manage their operational costs from the interest earning.
Navaprabha works on various issues that affect the life of women like VAW, child marriage and trafficking. In Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH  , they worked with Asmita project of Government at a large scale and distributed subsidized sanitary napkins to their members and adolescent girls. In gender and social inclusion, they have identified 212 gender point persons and run Gender forum in 8 panchayats and formed 35 adolescent groups.
In livelihood they converged with Government run programs like MGNREGA and created assets for a large number of women under Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro food Processing Enterprises scheme. In PRI-CBO convergence CLF members accessed more than 200 National Social Assistance Program  and more than 300 members accessed Ujjwala Yojana. The CLF played a vital role in helping their members in taking part in Gram Panchayat. 50 women were nominated.
The 'Atmanirbhar Sangathan' is given to acknowledge exemplary performance of CLFs by the Union Ministry of Rural Development under the Dindayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Campaign .PIB Mumbai | DJM/CP/DR
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Ministry of Science & Technology
New study suggests increase in warming in high altitude Himalayas due to water vapor
A recent study has shown that water vapour exhibits a positive radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere , suggesting an increase in overall warming in the High Altitude Himalayas due to it.
The precipitable water vapor  is one of the most rapidly varying components in the atmosphere and is mainly accumulated in the lower troposphere. Due to the large variability in space and time, mixing processes and contribution to a series of heterogeneous chemical reactions, as well as sparse measurement networks, especially in the Himalayan region, it is difficult to accurately quantify the climatic impact of PWV over space and time. Moreover, aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions over this region, which are one of the most climatic-sensitive regions, are poorly understood, apparently due to a lack of proper observational data.
The recent research led by Dr Umesh Chandra Dumka from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences , Nainital, an autonomous research institute of the Department of Science and Technology  Govt. of India, showed that Precipitable Water Vapour  exhibits a positive radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere  in high altitude remote locations in the order of about 10 watts per square metre  at Nainital  and 7.4 W m-2 at Hanle .
Team members from the National Observatory of Athens , Greece; Tohoku University, Japan; Indian Institute of Astrophysics  and CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute , Bengaluru and Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Germany also contributed in the study. The research published in the Journal of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Elsevier shows that the atmospheric radiative effect due to PWV is about 3-4 times higher compared to aerosols, resulting in atmospheric heating rates of 0.94 and 0.96 K Day-1 at Nainital and Hanle, respectively. The results highlight the importance of PWV and aerosol radiative effects in the climate-sensitive Himalayan region.
The researchers assessed the combination of aerosols and water vapour radiative effects over the Himalayan range that is specifically important for regional climate and highlighted the importance of water vapour as a key greenhouse gas and climate forcing agent over the Himalayan region.
The team believes that this work will provide a comprehensive investigation of the combined impact of aerosols and water vapour on the radiation budget.
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2021.101303
For more details, contact Dr. Umesh Chandra Dumka  and Dr Shantikumar S. Ningombam .
Figure 1: Monthly vertical profiles of water vapour radiative effects , heating rate profiles with  and without water vapour  over Nainital, a high altitude remote-location in the central Himalayan region during June 2011 to March 2012.
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Figure 2: Water vapour radiative effects at surface, top of the atmosphere and atmosphere over  Nainital in the central Himalayan region and  Hanle in the Trans-Himalayan region.
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Figure 3: Heating rate  values due to aerosol and water vapour content over  Nainital and  Hanle.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 51.90 Cr
More than 41 Lakh vaccine doses administered in last 24 hours
India achieves its highest ever Recovery Rate of 97.45%
38,353 Daily New Cases reported in last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload  is the lowest in 140 days
Active cases presently constitute 1.21% of total cases
Daily Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 16 days
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 51.90 Cr. Cumulatively, 51,90,80,524 vaccine doses have been administered through 59,57,616 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. 41,38,646 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
These include:
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|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,03,38,727
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|
2nd Dose
|
|
80,17,291
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|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
1,82,42,071
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
1,18,74,095
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|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
18,23,88,445
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
1,29,63,932
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|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
11,34,11,880
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|
2nd Dose
|
|
4,35,83,965
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|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
7,92,14,965
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|
2nd Dose
|
|
3,90,45,153
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|
Total
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|
51,90,80,524
The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination has commenced from 21st June, 2021. The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.
India’s recovery rate has reached 97.45% in the last 24 hours. This is the highest ever recovery rate achieved by India since the start of the pandemic.
Out of the people infected since the beginning of the pandemic, 3,12,20,981 people have already recovered from COVID-19 and 40,013 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours.
India has reported 38,353 daily new cases in the last 24 hours.
Less than 50,000 Daily New Cases have been reported since forty-five consecutive days. This is a result of sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs.
India’s Active Caseload today stands at 3,86,351. This is the lowest recorded active cases in 140 days. Active cases now constitute only 1.21% of the country's total Positive Cases, which is also the lowest since March 2020.
With substantially ramped up testing capacity across the country, a total of 17,77,962 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours in the country. Cumulatively, India has conducted over 48.50 crore  tests so far.
While on one side testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate currently stands at 2.34% and the Daily Positivity rate stands at 2.16% today. Daily Positivity rate has remained below 3% for last 16 days and below 5% for 65 consecutive days now.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Presenting to you the Second Edition of IFFILOID, PIB’s IFFI Newsletter
#IFFIWood, 20 November 2022
It's time to celebrate films yet again. Well, do we hear you say you have been celebrating films always? In times of joy as well as sorrow, when you are awake, and even in your sleep and in your dreams?
Yes, it is this spirit of eternal love and timeless celebration which we want us - all of us - to imbibe and cherish, to soak ourselves in.
And it is this same spirit which is the force behind IFFI, the International Film Festival of India, a film festival of, by and for the people.
It is the same spirit which moves us too, members of the PIB IFFI Cast and Crew, as we bring out the maiden IFFI 53 edition of IFFILOID.
We gather that IFFILOID struck a chord with film lovers. It is our humble aspiration that we continually do, be and become better.
Check out the first issue here.
Let us celebrate films - and life - together.PIB IFFI Cast and Crew | IFFI 53 - 42
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Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Training Of Apprenticeship In Various Ministries
With an aim to promote uptake of domain specific apprentices by various Central Ministries/Departments, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through “Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion ” program has designed an initiativeto fund stipend for 1,000 apprentices across the Central Ministries/Departments  for a period of one year.
So far, seven Central Ministries/Departments have responded to the initiative and have been permitted to deploy 107 apprentices.
Following are the category of apprentices that will be engaged:
- Apprentices with Vocational Certificate – 300Nosat monthly stipend of Rs,7,000.
- Apprentices with Diploma – 300Nosat monthly stipend of Rs. 8,000.
- Apprentices with Degree- 400Nosat monthly stipend of Rs. 9,000.
The proposed stipend can be increased subject to the requirement of Ministries/ Departments  along with a flexibility to alter number of apprentice across the three categories. After one year of engagement, the Ministries  are expected to continue these positions utilizing their own funds.
Central Ministries/Departments will be registering in the apprenticeship portal as an establishment and can access data of already registered candidates based on region specific search parameters. However, mobilization and selection of candidates are the responsibility of respective Central Ministries/Department.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles the passing away of legal scholar Shri KJ Shethna
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the passing away of leading lawyer and legal scholar, Shri KJ Shethna Ji.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Saddened by the passing away of Shri KJ Shethna Ji, a leading lawyer and legal scholar. In addition to his contribution to the legal field, he was also at the forefront of many community service initiatives. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour."